City of California City

I would like to comment on the California City Development, Ground operations, Law Enforcement and Safety. I like that the law enforcement personnel also do operations work in the low use hours. I wonder about a couple items. The sat phones are expensive. Has the city contacted any cell phone companies about improving coverage in these areas? My personal friend is a signal quality manager for Verizon in San Diego and he is always looking for weak signals to fix. Having cell phones work would be better for everyone involved, especially injured or broken down off-roaders.

I also wonder about leasing an off-road response vehicle for $22,082. Seems kind of high. Possibly the cost of buying something like this is much higher, but it seems interesting that one can lease such a vehicle at all.

Law enforcement should be reminded that a principle part of their work is to stop users from going out of legal areas. This has a large negative effect on OHV recreation.

California City is one of the few cities in the State that openly welcomes off-road vehicle users. I hope this grant can be funded to the fullest extent possible to promote safe and responsible motorized recreation. [Ed Stovin, CORVA - 3/30/10]

Everyone asking for Grant money does it with honorable intentions to manage our public lands , provide sustainable recreation and protect resources. I agree with all of that and am not one to say "do not fund" but there are exceptions from my point of view.

In reviewing these grants for 2009/2010 It it is alarming how the % of actual work on the ground changes from one agency to another. From experience I would like to see no more than 5% of the grant request for staff under Ground Operation go to management. The key to sustainable recreation on our public lands are for our grant money to be spent on the ground.

Every single grantee should be preaching "Stay on Designated Trail" regardless what your job is, it is the responsibility of every person involved with OHV that this message has to pushed.

Every single grantee should encourage those that are law abiding citizens to put pressure on the "Willfully Ignorant" to change their way so that we can have a "Sustainable OHV recreation" for future generations.

Lastly I want to thank every single person involved in working on OHV recreation for your time and dedication. [Ed Waldheim "OHV activist for access to public lands for all" - 3/28/10]
Every single Law Enforcement grant should have a commitment and focus to catch the "Willfully Ignorant" visitor. We see every day folks doing what ever they want and they feel immune because it is their feeling "there is no one around to catch me" That has to change. Yes, we have Green Sticker Violations, sound violations, and other normal day to day violations that by now should be all in compliance. It is the "Willfully Ignorant " that does not abide by the rules of the areas they ride in, i.e. "Stay on Designated Trails " "Respect Private Property" "Know the rules of area you are riding in " be it Forest Service, BLM, City and County. All of us can put pressure on the "Willfully Ignorant" but it is Law Enforcement that needs to focus their talent to those that want to ruin it for everyone. We can not let them rule our destiny or how we are being portrait in the eyes of the public and government elected officials.

The other area of grave concern is our children, we need to make sure that all children 16 and under on Quads have the proper certification. We need to make sure that they are properly dressed to ride, no tank tops, tennis shoes and short pants. Parents need to be told of their responsibility in the strongest possible manner, ticket.

Thank you all for working this very difficult issue. [Ed Waldheim "OHV activist for access to public lands for all" - 3/28/10]

This grant though large, covers an incredible amount of work for a city of 12,000 residents, yes, that is all this city has. Then on every weekend, it doubles, and on big holidays it goes over the top. This City has welcomed the OHV visitors and done everything they can to make sure visitors have the ability to get to food, Have dump and trash bens, have water, and most importantly the knowledge if they are in trouble, the Dirt Team is there within minutes. This city is a model on how you can turn this sport into a true "Tourism" event for East Kern County. [Ed Waldheim "OHV activist for access to the public lands for all" - 3/28/10]

Just wanted to put in a good plug for the wonderful folks in California City who are our service to assure a safe and fun filled time when we ride in the area. Borax Bill Park is nice, but it is our understanding that a grant request has been made for funds to expand services there. I hope you will very seriously consider this proposal for the park expansion as well as having medical and law enforcement response units in the riding area. The trails are perfect, but also improvements can and should be made with these requested grant monies. We love the CA City riding area and visit it often. We do hope you will consider their proposal for this much needed grant money.

Thank you for your time and consideration, [Mark Mahoney & Family - 3/22/10]

I am writing this e-mail to let you know the level of importance that I feel should be given to the California City Police Department and it's D.I.R.T program. My name is Loyd Waters and I run a non profit organization called The Cody Waters Foundation.

The purpose of the foundation is to raise money for children with cancer. How we accomplish this is by holding an off road motorcycle ride from California City to Jawbone Canyon. At last year's ride we had 200 riders, this year we had 180 riders. Both years we were greatly assisted by members of the California City Police Department. Our benefit ride is an annual event and we will continue to seek the support of the Police Department to help make the ride a success. [L.Waters - 3/17/10]

I had the immense pleasure of experiencing what California City offers off-highway vehicle recreation for the first time last weekend. The law enforcement officers were courtious, funny, and helpful as I went into their "office" to pay my sticker for my bike. The office is not the only place I saw them, as I was riding, hanging around the camp, and at night. It made me feel safe and comforted. There was an accident involving a young man, the Desert Incident Response Team was on the scene within a matter of minutes. I was very impressed! I plan to frequent this park that is providing a place for people, families, friends, and groups to enjoy a healthy, fun way of spending time together. I am grateful to God for the beauty of the desert and to the park attendants for protecting it and the Grant that funds an outstanding project for so many. [Sheree - 3/17/10]

Please know that the support that we as campers and desert riders of the California City area get from the DIRT group is extremely important. The service they give has saved lives and keeps the area safe for children and adults as well. Please be sure to keep them in mind when the grants are given out. [Michael Hughes - 3/15/10]